Jerusalem School is the mother organization of the Center for Proactive Peacemaking. It was founded in 1988, by Ross Byars. Our site in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem, has grown to now serve approximately 850 students from K3 - 12. Comprised of mostly a Palestinian student body and an international teaching faculty made up of Palestinians, Israelis, and Americans, the school promotes a diverse cultural background. Our alumni have gone on to study at some of the most prestigious institutions around the globe and many have earned MDs, PhDs, and JDs.

CPPI seeks to use this important tool in order to influence the Palestinian leaders of tomorrow by promoting peace, and not just "peace" but a "proactive peace". A peace that teaches the individual to not only speak of peace but to change his or her worldview in such a way that he or she must internally overcome all of the negative ideologies.

CPPI & Jerusalem School's Peace Works

Peace Works is a truly unique workcompiled of essays written by Jerusalem School students on non-violent revolutions. In order to receive a copy contact the CPPI Director of Operations, John Phillip Byars at johnpbyars@gmail.com .

CPPI Annual Peace Concerts

CPPI, Jerusalem School, and Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Marry, hold an annual peace concert in Jerusalem. The concert is performed by Palestinian, Israeli, and international singers all coming together in order to promote peace in the region.

In this video presentation from our 2012 concert Petter Yarrow performs with students from Jerusalem School. They sing a re-written version of an old American classic " This Land is your Land". The re-written version ,by Ross Byars, expresses how the land should be seen as a land for both parties of the conflict.

Peter, Paul and Kerry: Peter Yarrow Sings Out for the Faltering Peace Process

Humanitarian Projects

CPPI & Jerusalem School Students with Combatants for Peace

Each olive harvesting season CPPI and Jerusalem School hold olive picking projects with the students in order to provide assistance for West Bank families that do not have access to their olive groves. In the images above the Palestinian students from Jerusalem School are participating in an olive picking day with the Combatants for Peace. The Combatants for Peace are a group of military personnel from the Israel Defense Force that reach out to promote peace.